Working on a guide to redwoods in the Bay Area

I’m putting together a page of links and facts for folks who might be visiting the area and want to a) see some excellent ancient redwoods; and b) avoid the throngs at Muir Woods.

Of course I’ll include Big Basin, Portola, Purisima Creek .. but if you have any other areas you think people oughta see, drop a note in the comments and I’ll add it to my page. I don’t get up to Marin nearly enough so I don’t know about any stands of old-growth redwoods outside Mount Tam (if any even exist).

(Occasionally I break down and add worthwhile content to my site, though it does get in the way of my blogging. Apologies).

Tom, when you mention Muir Woods, you might or might not want to give away the secret to avoiding the throngs, by entering from topside, off a pull-out along Panoramic Highway near Mountain Home Inn. . .it’s easy to miss this incredible system of trails leading down into a National Monument! It’s a bit like being able to sneak in St. Peter’s Cathedral through the back door! Generally, you don’t see many people as you thread your way down, down, down the system of ravine switchbacks, with the trees growing ever-taller and bigger. Down at the bottom, of course, you’ll encounter the hoi polloi masses (and you can now count yourself among them!) but just for a while as you check out the big groves – but then take side trails farther up and back in the preserve to get a sense of pristine isolation…shouts and screams from kids, though, do travel far.

Redwood Regional Park in the Oakland hills is worthwhile, although the giant trees have long been felled…but there is beautiful second and third growth forest along Stream, Mill, Chown, and French Trails. For sheer osmosis of grokking the history, a visit is de rigueur since the locale was once home to the world’s biggest trees that ever existed.

Just wondering if you’ve seen http://redwoodhikes.com ? It mentions seven parks in the Bay Area, although most of its coverage is farther north and focused fairly exclusively on old growth forests (it mostly ignores second generation forest as in the East Bay). Don’t know anything about the website maintainer.

Thanks for the links to Redwood Hikes… I know the site well and have linked to it several times over the years.

I wanted my page to be more general as a guide to people who might not have enough time on their vacation to spend several hours driving and several hours hiking, but who wanted to see some ancient redwoods.